The Vegan Lifestyle Vs The Minimalist Lifestyle

Lifestyle is the attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, and social orientations of a specific individual, family, group, or society. The word was first introduced by Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler in his 1931 book, The Case of Miss R. With the meaning of “the basic nature of a human being as established at a very young age.” It includes all the things that individual’s value and worth to society, and the individual’s role models. The concept of lifestyle has many shades and interpretations but the commonality of its elements are that it is grounded on the ability to establish a sense of self-worth, social respectability, and personal achievement in one’s life.

The mass media have adopted these concepts and used it as a basis of what defines a person, a group, an institution, an industry, and even a country. One can easily identify the existence of a mass culture through the examples set in daily life. We can come across people who consider themselves as experts, public speakers, professors, or politicians. The reason for their success lies on their lifestyle and the way they view life. Their beliefs about life styles have made them who they are.

People need to look at how their lives are formed around their values, beliefs, and their daily lives. Those who have followed a lifestyle that is unhealthy and not congruent with their personal identity have experienced rejection and exclusion from their group and from society. In their eyes, the lifestyle they chose was the right choice for them. But, when they tried to change the lifestyle, they were met with resistance. Individuals are faced with two choices: conform with the lifestyle or live a lifestyle that is contrary to who they are.

To conform with a lifestyle is to lose personal identity and to adopt an undesirable one. If you choose to adopt a vegan lifestyle or a minimalistic lifestyle in general, your body will not experience any pain. You will also experience freedom, because you will have decided to live in a manner that is contrary to the way you live your everyday life. You will become a living example of what being a truly independent and self-determined individual is all about. This will inspire other individuals to follow in similar footsteps and to start a new lifestyle that is in harmony with their values, beliefs, and lifestyle.

On the other hand, those who choose veganism and minimalism will have to work twice as hard as the vegan lifestyle enthusiasts because they will have to promote veganism in the public arena. They will have to communicate the message of veganism to their friends and family. Vegans and vegetarians will have to attend more public functions and engage themselves in conversations. Vegans and vegetarians can expect to be subjected to rude, dietary remarks and to be called on the carpet by non-vegans and non-followers.

Both veganism and minimalism lifestyles come with their own set of perks and disadvantages. Vegans and vegetarians who have chosen to live such lifestyles will have to constantly defend their choice to live a lifestyle that is contrary to the way that they live their daily lives. Vegans and vegetarians who choose to adopt a minimalist lifestyle will also have to struggle to explain their lifestyle choice to non-vegetarians and non-followers. But for those who firmly believe in a non-animal lifestyle, both veganism and minimalism lifestyles pose serious problems that must be confronted and defeated.